SAN FRANCISCO, August 15, 2012—The Asian Art Museum kicks off its 10th anniversary in San Francisco’s Civic Center with an exhibition from one of the greatest archaeological discoveries in modern time. China’s Terracotta Warriors: The First Emperor’s Legacy will be on view February 22 – May 27, 2013.

The exhibition features 120 rare objects from the great tomb complex of China’s First Emperor (259-210 BCE), including 10 life-size terracotta figures—the maximum number of figures permitted outside China in a single exhibition.

Captivating the world since its discovery in 1974, the First Emperor’s tomb complex is one of the largest burial sites ever constructed. Estimated at nearly 250,000 square feet—or more than four American football fields—it includes a scale replica of the emperor’s imperial palace, complete with stables, offices, an armory and even a zoo. Ancient historians also described “flowing rivers” of mercury, of which trace amounts have recently been confirmed by scientists.

Perhaps most impressive are the estimated 8,000 terracotta figures excavated to date, including warriors of all ranks (all individually constructed, no two faces are alike), acrobats, musicians and horses. The tomb complex took 700,000 laborers nearly 40 years to build.

In 1994, the museum, then located in Golden Gate Park, was among the first to present the terracotta warriors to a U.S. audience. The 2013 exhibition offers a new generation of visitors the rare chance to view the clay figures up close. Visitors will also discover new secrets from the tomb, with more information than ever before on the First Emperor, his reign, and his quest for immortality.

“Celebrating 10 years in our Civic Center home calls for something extraordinary,” said Jay Xu, executive director, Asian Art Museum. “In China, history is being unearthed. Bringing a chapter of this epic story to San Francisco—with 10 life-size sculptures from one of the most significant discoveries of our time—is a great way to commemorate this occasion.”

“A common species on earth however rare for Golden Gate Park, San Francisco.

Joseph Mailliard listed it as a rarity during the summers at Golden Gate Park in his book “The Birds of Golden Gate Park” published in 1930. At the time it was referred to as an “Anthony Green Heron” p.24.”

(That was from before paywall went up at Strybing Arboretum. The Board of Supervisors said that they would revisit the issue of charging for admission at the “San Francisco Botanical Garden” if things didn’t work out and, actually, things didn’t work out, but I don’t think anybody’s going to seriously reconsider the pay gates.* Oh well. So, I’m never going back there. Oh well.)

*Uh RPD, do you want ideas about what to do instead of blindly following whatever the Botanical Society tells you to do? Oh, not really? OK. Uh, RPD, don’t you know that everybody knows that you were lying about the projected attendance figures in the post-paywall era? You do? Good. But the attendance figures are much lower than what you were actually expecting, right? And what you were actually expecting was a lot lower than what you said you were expecting, right? And you’re cool with that, and you had no other options at all, RPD, so this is the greatest thing ever, right? OK fine.

Ideally, you’d have the original muralist come over and do a touchup for free. Ideally. But the long-lived tagging on Gold Mountain has epoxy in it, so it’s really hard to take off of the wall without erasing everything. And then after you do a fix-up another tagger will come along, despite your use of anti-graffiti coatings and whatnot.

Now honestly, I’m not sure how much good putting up video cameras would do unless you had somebody to watch a live feed 24-7. I mean the value of showing the SFPD grainy night-time footage of some skinny, 5′ 8″, hoodie-wearing hood isn’t much, right?

For all I know these tags are still there today, with more added on, possibly. I’ll check it out the next time I’m in the area.

The Gold Mountain Mural is located at Romolo Alley, near Broadway and Columbus, on the side of the Swiss American building owned and managed by Chinatown CDC. It is the joint effort of Ms. Ann Sherry, the muralist, and Chinatown CDC depicting the lives of Chinese Americans in San Francisco. It was created in 1994, and once restored in 2004 due to heavy tagging. At that time, to honor her, we added the image of our local heroine, Ms. Betty Ann Ong. Ms. Ong is the American Airline stewardess who was the first one to contact ground crew informing them of the plane being hijacked on that fatal flight into the World Trade Center on 9/11.

Recently, this historic mural caught the eyes of the President of the National Museum of Murals and Mosaics in Philadelphia, and will be featured in their online museum website.

Once again, due to tagging, we will start restoring the mural in the near future. We have so far secured some funding to install surveillance cameras to safeguard the mural. Once restoration is complete, we will daily monitor the mural and assist the SFPD to apprehend taggers. (Volunteers interested to help can contact Cathie Lam at 415-984-1461.)

“Korean Comics: A Society Through Small Frames – Exhibition in the Library’s Jewett Gallery, March 13th – June 13th, 2010. San Francisco Public Library is pleased to present, Korean Comics: A Society Through Small Frames, an exhibition of 83 framed works by 21 of Korea’s most talented cartoonists drawn over a period of four decades, on view March 13–June 13 in the Jewett Gallery at the Main Library, 100 Larkin St.”

A graphic from this afternoon’s rally – secondhand smoke levels from outdoor dining areas at two unnamed cafes in North Beach are considered dangerous by the EPA:

80 souls were there before the committee meeting began:

Eric Mar and supporters enjoying a healthy smoke-free ride in the Richmond District back in 2008:

Brace yourselves:

COMMUNITY RALLY TO SUPPORT EXPANDING PROTECTIONS FROM SECOND HAND SMOKE

Rally & Press Conference Before the Board of Supervisors Committee
Hearing on Ordinance that Closes the Gaps in Public Health Code

Polk Street City Hall Steps
Monday, February 1 at 12:00 noon

WHAT: A rally and press conference to support an ordinance that will
expand protection from second hand smoke by closing gaps in the
San Francisco Public Health Code. San Francisco is poised to
join 18 other Bay Area cities in offering protection from
second hand smoke by prohibiting smoking in many outdoor areas
such as farmers markets, outdoor dining areas, theater and ATM
lines, hotel and motel lobby areas, and other places frequented
by members of the public. The rally will convene just before
the meeting of the Board of Supervisors Committee on Land Use &
Economic Development, which will hear the proposed legislation
for the first time.

The proposed ordinance would update Article 19F of the San Francisco Health Code, the landmark legislation adopted in 1994 that protects residents and visitors from second hand smoke. If approved by the Board of Supervisors and signed by the Mayor, San Francisco would join a long list of other Bay Area cities that have already expanded protection from second hand smoke for their residents to include many outdoor areas.

So yes, it’s a scripted drama about a Bunim-Murray Productions reality TV show, but there you go, your choice. You might be surprised with what you see:

“MTV’s “The Real World” is now in it’s 18th season but it has never reached the kind of social significance and importance it did after it’s third season. Today’s “Real World” is a far cry from what it used to be. Whereas before it was filled with important social commentary and significance, today it’s degenerated simply into a bunch of snot nosed twerps having sex, and getting drunk with no socially redeeming value of any kind.”

OK then.

Here’s today’s news:

World Television Premiere Event: The Film ‘Pedro’ Airs on MTV, MTV Tr3s, mtvU & LOGO on Wednesday, April 1 at 8:00 PM ET/PT

Introduced by President Bill Clinton, BMP Films and MTV Bring Academy Award-Winner Dustin Lance Black’s (“Milk”) Story of The Real World’s Pedro Zamora To Life

MTV and World Class Partners to Help Mobilize Young People to Get Tested During STD Awareness Month

MTV, mtvU, LOGO andMTV Tr3s, withsubtitles in Spanish, will present the world television premiere of Pedro, a movie based on the remarkable life of The Real World’s Pedro Zamora, on Wednesday, April 1 at 8:00 PM ET/PT. BMP Films, in association with MTV, produced this biopic written by Academy Award-winner Dustin Lance Black (“Milk”). For more information and to view the movie trailer, please visit www.pedro.mtv.com.

In 1994, Zamora captured the hearts of millions as the first-ever openly gay, HIV-positive main character on TV — on MTV’sThe Real World: San Francisco. Zamora’s time in the house on Lombard Street brought a face to the AIDS crisis. President Bill Clinton has long credited Zamora with personalizing and humanizing the epidemic, and he will introduce Pedro when it makes its world television premiere April 1st.

“To this day, Pedro Zamora remains an extraordinary example of what a huge impact one young person can make in our world,” President Clinton said. “I’m glad to have known him, and I’m grateful his life has been able to inspire and enrich so many others.”